Thornfum stormed back into the tent, his face twisted in an expression so rare it might as well have been a miracle, it was surprise.
And for good reason.
Xerxes stood by the bed, flexing his hand repeatedly, his body fully healed despite the brutal wound that should have left him bedridden for days. The mental toll of the injury lingered; his movements were stiff, his jaw clenched, but physically, he was whole.
"I should thank you, Airi," he muttered. "This wouldn't have been possible without you, that's for sure. I ought to thank the medics later, too."
Thornfum's moustache bristled, "Oi, Xerxes, ow' in the bloody depths are ya' standing? That slice looked gnarly enough to split a mountain!"
Leiya, despite being startled in the same respect as Thornfum's, had sensed the interplay of Airi's power and the Rose Orkalia's power at work within Xerxes' body.
Although Xerxes didn't focus on Thornfum's surprise, instead he was focused on something else, his voice shimmering with quiet fury "Thornfum, I do appreciate you for joining our party, but what do you think it means to be a part of one?"
Thornfum raised an eyebrow, confused, "Eh?"
Xerxes held subtle anger within his voice, as he stepped closer with his tone sharpening like a knife "I'm being quite frank when I say this, but you fought like an idiot, if this were a real battle, if there were real stakes then you would have been dead, you can't expect the party to support your foolishness. Nicolas' party should have been easier to take out, but I had to pay the price, Leiya had to be hurt and you, what did you accomplish there?"
Thornfum's face darkened; it wasn't how he had expected his return to the tent to be. So he walked forward, jabbing a finger at Xerxes' chest, "Aye, I joined the party, but I never said you were the leader. Yer' not my boss, and you don't tell a dwarf how to fight. You just keep on blaming me for yer' own weakness? Hah! Just proves what we say 'bout humans, pussies who blame others for their problems."
Xerxes stepped forward, looming over him, his mana flaring as if it lit a fuse "But I am the leader, I-"
Thornfum laughed, a harsh, grating sound that tore at Xerxes' ears, "Yer' think just because you say the leader that you are? Tell me, is a king a king just because he wears a crown? Maybe in the human kingdom it's a fact, but if ya wanna know what the case is in Baratheon, someone who claims a title needs to embody those attributes and earn it."
Thornfum didn't stop, in fact, he finished with a harsher insult to Xerxes' character and authority, "and all I'm seeing is a spoiled brat, biting more than he can chew."
Xerxes' mana flared, as Thornfum began materialising a Warhammer, "Don't think just cuz ya' mana is flaring that I won't tussle with yer."
Leiya's voice then cut through the room, making everyone pipe down, "ENOUGH!" shattering the tension that was riling up.
Thornfum's hammer stopped materialising, as he threw up his arms in anger, "He's the one who started it!"
Xerxes roared, "How are you telling me to stop? This bastard doesn't know his lefts and rights!"
Leiya's anger boiled over, "Both of you just stop, do you think we have time to be idiots? You two just need to relax and be separated for a while. Claudia can't even help right now, so Xerxes, I'm going to talk to Thornfum, you just wait in here."
Rising from her bed, Leiya walked over, yanking Thornfum out of the room as he was forced to leave. Just before he left, he screamed one last thing before Leiya pushed him out the room, "this is why your ass is gonna' get handed to you when you fight Tristan, wanna know what I saw today, I was gonna' tell you, but he's the sort of person that when his fight started his opponent surrendered before it even began, that's the person he is and you aren't!"
Leiya slapped Thornfum across the head, and pushed him out of the room. Strangely, he didn't react to Leiya's hit, for some sick reason, he liked it...
Xerxes then plopped down on his bed, almost feeling helpless, "Can you believe that?" Frustration wasn't leaving Xerxes' face. "Words couldn't get through to him. I should've punched that smug grin off his thick skull."
Airi flew around Xerxes, "As nice as that sounds, Xerxes, why is it that you are so frustrated?" Xerxes felt reluctant to answer; he felt as if he was sounding too childish.
"It was the fact that he was questioning my authority. I am a leader, am I not? It was the same feeling I had in the tournament, that I felt as if I lacked control, and if I can't lead a party of 3 extra people, how am I meant to control my own destiny?"
Airi hummed as she resonated with his words, but she also understood what Thornfum meant, "Don't hate me too, after all, you can't. I had helped you heal greatly, and I swear I'll burn you if you do, but don't you think that you have to prove it to him?"
Xerxes' face rose from the ground, and his eyes met Airi's. "In the tournament, you said something to me that had stuck with me, you wanted to prove that I could have faith in you, and that made me see you differently."
Emotions of comfort and belief poured into Xerxes from Airi's being, as she spoke bluntly, "A crown doesn't give a king his power nor authority, it's what they do for their people, it's the trust they build, the reliance, Xerxes, and tell me what have you done to make the party rely on you, to truly trust you, and if you can not provide an answer for that question than you yourself know what you are lacking."
Xerxes thought on Airi's words, and she could tell he was thinking deeply, but the time in his thoughts was already an answer in itself. "I can't answer," Xerxes admitted.
"He just rubbed me the wrong way, I hate it." Xerxes muttered with little confidence in his voice, "he doesn't even believe in me, I think that's what I hate the most, he said that I would lose to Tristan, and..."
Xerxes simply sighed, whilst slumping over, "I want them all to believe in me, but all my life I've been used to people naturally believing me, but how do I create belief, Airi? I'm not some god."
Airi nuzzled his shoulder, "And you don't have to be a god to create something so simple. Leaders inspire fear or faith. Which will you choose? Personally, one out of faith sounds more tame, it makes you dependable, and actually creates a relationship with those who will help you get back to Layne."
Looking up, she began to wonder about the crazed dwarf, "Thornfum's past shapes him, just like the Fallen Kingdom shaped you. Understand him. Understand all of them, Claudia and even Leiya, because trust isn't given. It's built, and tell me, Xerxes, how are you going to get him to trust you if you can't sit down and have a conversation with him? If you keep Thornfum at an arm's length, something that you've been used to doing, not only with him but many others, that I have noticed."
There was a silence that followed for a short moment, as he was faced with the confrontation of his own thoughts and actions. It felt like swallowing broken glass; it exposed him to pain, humiliation and much more. Airi knew this was necessary, which didn't make it any easier.
Xerxes' voice cracked, raw emotions he'd buried now clawing to the surface, "What do you expect from me, Airi? I can't..I can't bring myself to building something real again, not when I know how it could end."
His fingers dug into his palms, "What if I'm too weak when something goes wrong? That's why I was hard on Leiya to move past her trauma, not attempting to understand the gravity of losing everyone and everything. That's why I've been hard on Thornfum, because one mistake can cost everything, and I'd know."
Xerxes sighed, holding back tears, "It's been simpler this way Airi, maintaining a distance because I can't bear losing people again. Being torn from my family in the Crossed Seas guild, being torn from The Fallen Kingdom, I sometimes don't know what to make of myself."
"I put on this act as if I can do it all, that nothing will stop me, that I will keep every promise that's been entrusted to me, but I'm just a kid Airi and yes I've been carrying these burdens well, but it doesn't mean that it hasn't been weighing me down on the inside."
Airi realised a greater weight that Xerxes had been experiencing, and she truly did feel sorrow. There was so much pain he had to carry, so much he to bear and Airi couldn't help but feel remorse.
She went on to speak, quietly, "Friendships, companionship, it's such a strong thing, but even though it's fragile, even though it needs to be maintained and handled with care, it can take you further than any mana could. I know it seems a lot right now, Xerxes, but you must understand that you have people around you who can fight for you too, you're not the only one who the world depends on, just try depending on others once in a while and see how easy that burden gets because a party isn't just your strength, it's everyones."
She then added slyly to lighten the mood, "Of course, if all else fails, then you'll have a badass immortal phoenix."
Xerxes gave a wry smile, "That's right, a badass phoenix. Tell me, Airi, how is it that you seem to have every answer to what I need?"
Airi chuckled, "Not sure if getting stabbed in the gut made you lose memories like me, but do you forget I can read all your thoughts and emotions, you haven't learned to hide your thoughts, and I am not going to teach you!"
Xerxes held her, "But you can!?" Airi laughed, "I did not say that..."
Xerxes then shook his head and nodded, "I know you wouldn't say anything that you believe would be bad for me, so I'll try and start depending on others, trusting others and do more things to work towards an easier future. I'll try to talk with Thornfum and get some information."
Raising from his bed, Xerxes began to put on a simple set of clothing, getting ready to gather some information and try discuss things with Thornfum so that their next battle wouldn't be a mess, but before that could happen Nicolas entered the room.